South Downs to become National Park

Britain is to gain another National Park – the South Downs – joining such other protected areas of natural beauty as the Lake District, the Brecon Beacons and Dartmoor.

The decision has finally been confirmed to make this area of south-east England a National Park, 60 years after it was first recommended.

The South Downs area – stretching from Beachy Head in East Sussex to the edge of Winchester in Hampshire – takes in a varied landscape of scarp slopes, cliffs, river valleys and woodland, as well as historic villages, churches, and hill-top forts.

The South Downs will be the 15th National Park in England, Scotland and Wales and is expected to be established by April 2010 and become fully operational a year later.

Top things to see & do in the South Downs

If you’re planning a visit to the South Downs, here are a few highlights of things to do:

• Teeter at Beachy Head: spectacular white cliffs near Eastbourne.

• Walk the South Downs Way – a 100-mile National Trail through beautiful rolling scenery between Eastbourne and Winchester.

• Visit the stunning castle or the Wildlife and Wetland Centre at Arundel.

• Explore Lewes – a picturesque market town with a hill-top fort, antique and book shops, and Anne of Cleves House.

• Nose round Virginia Woolf‘s former home – Monk’s House, in Rodmell, near Lewes, now a National Trust Property.

• Wander round the medieval village of Alfriston.

• Stand in awe of Winchester cathedral, whose foundations were laid in 1079.

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